Table of contents for June - July 2017 n12 in Trail Run

My favourite line comes from a book I read years ago. I remember nothing of the story – nor the title or author – but I clearly remember the first chapter ended with this line: “He stood, put on his coat, and walked around the corner into whatever happened to him next.” I’m not sure why that particular line resonated with me at the time, and continues to do so years later. Who was this man? What was his story? Was he defeated in life – once hopeful and ambitious but beaten down by decades of mediocre existence, now washed up on the shores of late middle age utterly resigned to an inability to effect change? Or did he stride from that door, accepting of the benevolence of the universe…

Craigieburn Forest Park Where: Canterbury, 110km west of Christchurch Distance: With options that range from a 20-minute nature walk to full-day runs or multiday fastpacks, Craigieburn is an ideal long run weekend away. Degree of difficulty: Moderate. Bush trails and single track, exposed at altitude. Some steep climbs and descents. Multiple river crossings – exercise extreme caution in inclement weather. Access: Broken River ski-field road off Highway 73 Why: From peaceful, sheltered beech forests to tussocked ridgelines and alpine scree, Craigieburn has plenty to entice and delight. Admire sub-alpine herbs and ground cover as you warm up on Dracophyllum Flat Track. Trot over the Lyndon Saddle to Helicopter Hill for a view of Castle Hill Basin’s characteristic limestone topography, or head up to the Broken River/Craigieburn Valley ski-fields to bank…

1 Gone Running, Wanchai 1 www.gonerunning.hk Gone Running is owned by expat Australian and avid trail runner, John Ellis, and local running legend, JoeJoe Fan. More than just a shop, Gone Running is a great source of running-related products and advice, and they have their own Strava group. 2 Lantau Base Camp 2 www.lantaubasecamp.com Located in Mui Wo on Lantau Island, at the foot of the third highest peak in Hong Kong, this little store could not be more aptly named. Run by trail runners, Lantau Base Camp organises races on the island and the shop often serves as a meeting point for regular weekly off-road runs. 3 Racing The Planet, Sheung Wan 3 www.racingtheplanet.com Run by the organisers of the international Four Deserts Race series, Racing the Planet is…

EDITOR’S CHOICE WUU2K Location: Wellington Date: Saturday July 15 Distance: 60k solo/relay, 42k trail marathon Terrain: Single track, mountain bike trail, dirt road Difficulty: Moderate – difficult (3000m of climb in the ultra) Description: Nature crafted the perfect course for an urban ultra in the hills surrounding picturesque Wellington Harbour and city. From the first rays of morning light picking out runners nearing the summit of Mt Kaukau to the mellow afternoon sunshine on top of Mt Victoria, there is a fabulous sense of being in motion throughout a rotation of the earth. Throughout the day, the views change with the undulating trail but always spectacular: now out towards Kapiti Island and the Makara windfarm; now across thundering surf to the mountains of the South Island; Eastbourne lighthouse… finally the…

Back in 2014, I went down to Coast to Coast (C2C) to watch a friend take part in the two-day event. While down there, another friend, Rich, casually said, “You should think about doing the mountain run.” I thought he was joking and dismissed it, trying to back out by saying, “Well, if I did, I would need someone to come with me.” My mate Tim said “I’ll come with you.” That put an end to the conversation. It also began my first foray into trail running. I didn’t know what I was in for but was convinced to some extent by their enthusiasm. A year later, and C2C race director Richard Ussher allowed us an earlier start on the main field to give us a chance (with my disability)…

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDS) is a newly described syndrome, which affects both men and women. While there has been 30 years of study into the female athlete triad (FAT) – the effects of energy deficiency in females – there is less understanding of some of the areas of RED-S syndrome and of the effects of energy deficiency in male athletes. RED-S is a broadened recognition of the health effects of poor energy availability to encompass more body systems and to include male athletes. The International Olympic Committee’s consensus statement from 2014 reads: “The syndrome of RED-S refers to impaired physiological function including, but not limited to, metabolic rate, menstrual function, bone health, immunity, protein synthesis, cardiovascular health caused by relative energy deficiency.” RED-S and FAT conditions are found…

1 Spaniard Grass It is hard to believe this notorious devil of a plant is a member of the innocuous carrot family. The only thing more formidable than Aciphylla’s stiff, razor-sharp pointed leaves are the long spikes protruding from the flower heads – a response some experts believe evolved as protection against browsing moa. Maori made extensive use of the plant (taramea), collecting gum from the base of the leaves and eating the tender shoots and tap root: how they approached the beast is unclear. Spaniard Grass dwells in the upland country in the South Island (smaller varieties have been found in the Tararua Ranges). Non-locals will bitterly regret brushing against what appears to be an innocuous species of alpine grass. 2 Bush Lawyer Rubus cissoides – climbing blackberry –…

1 Length 1 Pole is correct length when lower arm sits at 90 degrees to the body. If you intend to use only for steep climbing (i.e. vertical kilometre – VK – racing), choose an adjustable or shorter pole. 2 Grip Insert hand from below strap, hold with thumb over strap (similar to a ski-pole). Hold lightly. If pole drops, it should hang loosely from strap so that in a fall, the hand drops out of the strap reducing the risk of dislocations or fractures. 3 Use a. Plant with purpose – apply force with each stride in order to engage the upper body. b. Do not extend the pole forward of the body where it will act as a brake. Plant close to the body and use for propulsion.…

I’M SLIGHTLY IN RECOVERY MODE FROM THE RECENTLY COMPLETED PARTNERS LIFE DUAL EVENT, IN MANY WAYS THE JEWEL IN THE TOTAL SPORT CROWN. IT’S AN AMAZING EVENT THAT SEES CLOSE TO 2000 PEOPLE CROSS AUCKLAND’S HAURAKI GULF TO RUN, WALK OR RIDE OVER RANGITOTO AND MOTUTAPU ISLANDS. I’m writing this piece on a Thursday morning as I sit here next to my gorgeous daughter, Sophie. The world most of us live in perhaps dictates that I should be at work being busy, and maybe pretending to be a little bit important too. I think lots of us get tied into thinking we’re “busy and a little bit important,” however, that’s a discussion for another time... I’m slightly in recovery mode from the recently completed Partners Life DUAL event, in many…

There is a race almost every weekend during the trail running season in Hong Kong. Below are some of the more popular options: January – Vibram Hong Kong 100, 100k. Registration opens September.www.hk100-ultra.com March – Trans Lantau 25k, 50k, 100k. Qualifying race for UTMB. www.translantau.com October – Salomon LT70 70k. Points qualifier for UTMB. www.lantaubasecamp.com November – Oxfam Trailwalker 100k 4-person teams.www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.hk December – Asian Sky Running Championships 50k. www.actionasiaevents.com December – The North Face 100 Hong Kong 50k, 100k. Registration starts in July (by lottery). www.thenorthface100.com…

WHY A DAGGER? WELL, I’D WANTED SOMETHING ABOUT THE PEN BEING MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD BUT REALISED THAT HAVING A GIANT BIC TATTOOED ON ME WOULD BE DUMB. On 9 March this year I turned 40 years old. Two days later, four of my closest friends (including my closest wife) staged the fourth iteration of the Riverhead Rampage, a half marathon run in Riverhead Forest, just out of Auckland. Rebecca and Amy dreamt up the idea to raise money for Riverhead School’s physical education programme, which at the time was not meeting the needs of the students. Initially I balked at the idea, citing that we did not have either the time or the experience to engage in what seemed a mammoth undertaking. Despite my initial scepticism, the desire…

Learn to recognise the telltale signs in yourself, your running buddy, friend, sister or daughter (and remember, men can be affected too). There are many reasons why people with an eating disorder may not seek help. They may not see their own behaviours as problematic or they may feel they do not fit into the stereotype of who typically gets an eating disorder (especially men). Asking for help can be tremendously hard. Answering ‘yes’ to any of the following questions should warrant a trip to a GP and further referral: • Do you run on a rest day, or run hard on an easy day? • Do you continue to exercise when ill or injured? • Do you feel compelled to exercise or increase your exercise to ‘burn off’ any…

One of the tenets of endurance nutrition has been to go into a training session with enough carbohydrate on board to ensure you have adequate fuel to utilise for energy. We have a limited storage capacity for carbohydrate and predominantly store it in our muscles or liver as glycogen, or transiently in our bloodstream as glucose. While muscle mass will determine the amount of carbohydrate an individual can store, it takes a moderate intensity exercise session of around 90 minutes to deplete these stores. When we take on carbohydrate during training (in the form of gels, carbohydrate-based drink or fruit-based bliss balls), this is rapidly broken down and allows our bloodstream to continually deliver glucose fuel to the working muscle. For optimum results, we were previously encouraged to start training…

Goldfields Track Where: The Great Dividing Range, Victoria Distance: 210k point-to-point. Multiple access points from local villages for run and walk options of varying length, or consider a multi-day fastpack. Degree of difficulty: Varied. Bush trails, farmland, single-track, road sections, some steep climbs and descents, and some exposure at height. Dual-use mountain bike and walking track. Access: Ballarat: start from Mt Buninyong, 20km south of Ballarat. Bendigo: pick up the trail at Bendigo Station. Why: This route was originally known as the Great Dividing Trail as it traverses the mountain range of the same name, linking the goldrush towns of Ballarat in the south and Bendigo in the north. Goldfields Track is three dual-use linked trails, each with its own characteristics. Wallaby Track (90km) starts from the ancient volcano of…

A Voyage for Madmen Peter Nichols Not a book about running or runners, this has the same hallmarks of single-minded, compulsive and competitive behaviour that permeates our community. Nichols chronicles the journey of nine men who set sail between June and December 1968 in the inaugural singlehanded round-the-world yacht race, which carried a £5000 prize purse. We peek into each man’s private life and study his motivation: for one it was fame, for another it was challenge, and some were flying the flag for country. Incredibly, one knew nothing about sailing, but was flat broke and desperate. A single successful competitor returned some ten months later… but that is far from the end of the story. Heartbreak, trauma and unimaginable tragedy spiral outward from that event like ripples on a…

Scrambling up a steep scree slope leading to the final pass at Bocca di Brenta, it was hard to maintain a footing with rocks sliding away from under my feet. A mountain safety guide called my name: “From New Zealand?” “Yes.” We shook hands. It wasn’t far to the top he said, maybe 25 minutes. I was something of a curiosity, one of only a few non-Italians in the race and probably the only one from the southern hemisphere. How did I find out about the event, the organisers wanted to know. Simple – as I was going to be in Europe in September, I decided to run a race in the mountains. I found myself on the start line of the inaugural Dolomiti di Brenta Trail race – a…

 OK, so to describe Mt Roy as ‘the most run’ mountain in the world may be a bit of hyperbole – or not: an estimated 150 tourists struggle up its stern face every day, joined by a throng of locals out on training runs. WHILE STRAVA MAY SHOW A FASTEST TIME OF 54:26, THE BEST KNOWN TIME IS A SUB-50 FROM NONE OTHER THAN BRITISH MOUNTAIN RUNNER, MARTIN COX. A WHOLE BOOK COULD BE WRITTEN ABOUT HIS ADVENTURES AND LEGENDARY BLUDGING ABILITIES WHILE TOURING NEW ZEALAND. Topping out at 1578m above sea level and some 1213m above the shores of Lake Wanaka, Roy’s proximity to the road to Mt Aspiring and to the tourist mecca of Wanaka means it is also one of the bigger, more readily accessible climbs around…

Q “I’ve had a sore Achilles for a few months now. I can still run on it, but limp for the first part of my run until it eases up, and it’s sore after the run. A friend thought I might have an Achilles tendinopathy – what is that? How can I manage the pain and keep running?” Achilles tendon irritation is a common complaint among runners and one that can hinder training and performance if left untreated. Irritation of the Achilles occurs when the current loading of the tendon – the combined load of training and daily life – exceeds the tendons self-reparative capacity. Microfibres become disorganised and thickened in response. Once irritated, the tendon is less able to tolerate load, resulting in slowly increasing inflammation and pain. We…

As runners, we are always looking to balance the demands of training and racing with optimal health so that we don’t become fatigued, injured or immunocompromised. If you find this to be a daily struggle, there may be a very common culprit sabotaging your best efforts and race times. It is called candida and it is rife in the western world. What is the problem? Candida is a yeast/fungus that lives in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and is harmless unless it overgrows. The immune system keeps it under control (and confined to the lower intestine, skin and, in women, the vagina) via healthy, essential bacteria that live in the GIT. If this population of bacteria is disrupted or wiped out, candida can pass through the intestinal walls into the blood…

1 Try training twice a day with the key session in the morning (intervals or long run) and consuming little to no carbohydrates before carrying out the second workout later in the day with low muscle glycogen or liver glycogen to draw from. In practical terms, the first session is an easy fasted run followed by consumption of meals based around protein/fat and vegetables, then a harder session in the afternoon. Take care to recover properly after the second session by incorporating good quality carbohydrate (potato, kumara, legumes, lentils or quinoa) into the evening meal. 2 A less aggressive strategy is simply to complete a long or hard session after an overnight fast, consuming only water or coffee beforehand – no calories. The workout is performed with low liver glycogen,…

1 If the motivation to train wanes over the winter months, try: • joining a running club • signing up for an event • arranging to train with a friend 2 Warm up a little inside before heading out the door into the biting cold. 3 Mix up your workouts with shorter, high intensity sessions such as track work, speed work or hill repetitions as opposed to long, slow slogs in inclement weather. 4 Always carry a mobile phone, personal alarm or – at the very least, a whistle – on early morning or evening runs around city streets. 5 Carry lights on evening or early morning runs, and bear in mind that it gets dark surprisingly early in the bush. 6 Take at least one extra layer (i.e. rain…